Christopher Nolan says The Odyssey was "an absolute nightmare" to film – and from the new footage reports I can understand why

Christopher Nolan took to the stage at CinemaCon to debut some new footage from his upcoming epic The Odyssey – and he had a few things to say about making it. The Oscar-winning director opened up about the extremely difficult filming process of the movie, praising his leading man, Matt Damon, for dealing with it so well.

"This movie was a nightmare to film… but in all the right ways, and we had an incredible time filming," Nolan said of the process, per The Hollywood Reporter. He explained how he dragged Damon around the world to film, sending him into caves, the ocean, and more, and Nolan added that he thinks his leading man would agree with how "difficult" it was to make.

Damon plays Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca and central figure of Homer's epic. The ambitious film adapts the story of his long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War and his efforts to reunite with his wife once again.

"It’s a story that has fascinated generation after generation for 3,000 years," Nolan added to the crowds at CinemaCon. "It’s not a story, but the story. I wanted to grab the exciting opportunity of bringing it to a modern cinema audience."

New footage also debuted at the insider event, with reports hailing the epic nature of the production. Per Indie Wire, this featured an adaptation of the Trojan Horse story, which is a key part of Troy's history. The scene begins with men in the sea fighting for their lives not to drown, as they pull the horse from the ocean to shore. They then wait until nightfall before they approach the city and begin their attack.

Knowing Nolan's ambitious filmmaking style and commitment to in-camera effects, I can only imagine how difficult this sequence was to adapt. This is especially the case because we know Nolan built a real, to-scale and functional Trojan Horse on set. But, I've got to admit, this is also a major reason I can't wait to see how this looks on the big screen when the film arrives later this summer.

The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17, 2026. Check out all the other upcoming movies to add to your watch list, as well as our selection of the best fantasy films ever made.